


Good Enough

by LooneyLlama



Series: New in Town [2]
Category: Moomin (Anime 1969), Mumintroll | Moomins Series - Tove Jansson
Genre: 1969 anime characterization, Gen, Little My asks "aren't you tired of being nice? Don't you just want to go apeshit?", Moomin is a good boi, Snufkin gets yeeted
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:02:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27576898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LooneyLlama/pseuds/LooneyLlama
Summary: Snorkmaiden's first few days in Moominvalley.  Partially based on the 1969 episode "Nonnon Comes Back."
Relationships: Lilla My | Little My & Snorkfröken | The Snork Maiden, Mumintrollet | Moomintroll & Snorkfröken | The Snork Maiden, Snorken | The Snork & Snörkfroken | The Snork Maiden, Snorkfröken | The Snork Maiden & Snusmumriken | Snufkin
Series: New in Town [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2015782
Kudos: 11





	Good Enough

Snorkmaiden liked her life in the big city. She was popular at the all-girls school she attended, with most of the student body looking to her to keep up with the latest fashion trends. There were plenty of suitors around to keep her supplied with flowers and chocolates. Best of all, however, was that the Royal Academy her brother attended had the biggest library in the country; she had spent many an hour curled up in an overstuffed chair, letting the books transport her to all sorts of fantastic worlds. As much as she enjoyed reading about far-off lands, however, she really had no desire to leave the city she called home. 

Hence why she was so angry at the Snork’s announcement. 

“We’re moving?!” 

“Yes, and don’t raise your voice,” the Snork replies without looking up from the trunk he was packing. “It’s a little town called Moominvalley, right at the base of the mountains.” 

“But why?” Snorkmaiden pouted. “I like it here.”

“Come now, use your common sense, Snorkmaiden! I just graduated—we can’t live in the academy’s housing anymore.” 

“But surely there are plenty of other places to live in the city!” 

“Yes, but they’re expensive places. Besides, we already have a house in Moominvalley that’s been sitting vacant for years. It’s not the most glamorous place in the world, but we might as well get some use out of it while I look for a job.” 

Snorkmaiden blinked. “A house? Why would we have a house there?” 

“Oh...you must have been too young to remember.” A strange expression appeared on the Snork’s face, something between pitying and wistful. “Snorkmaiden, we used to live in Moominvalley, back when our parents were alive.” 

Snorkmaiden fell silent. She never knew what to say when her brother talked about their parents. 

“I was working on my first Royal Academy degree when they passed,” Snork continued. “I didn’t want to leave my studies, so you were sent out here to live with me.” He sighed. “I just never knew what to do with the house. Moominvalley really isn’t anything special—the town doesn’t even have a real school.” 

He slammed the lid of the trunk shut. 

“But it’s there, and I suppose that’s good enough.” 

———————

As the snorks drove into town, Snorkmaiden had to admit the little valley was rather picturesque. It looked more like an illustration in a folktale than a real place where she and her brother could live. When Snork stopped in the road to look at his map, she spotted a troll coming up the hill toward them. 

“Hi there! I’m Moomin,” he waved cheerfully at them. 

Almost without thinking, Snorkmaiden struck a cute pose and fluttered her eyelashes. “My name is Snorkmaiden.” 

His snout immediately went pink. Well, it was good to know she hadn’t lost her touch with boys. 

“A-are you new in town? I’ve never seen you before—and I know, because I’d have remembered you! I mean, you’re very pretty...” Moomin blushed even harder. He hastily picked a handful of wildflowers from the field at their feet and shoved them in her face. 

“Um, here you go! Welcome to Moominvalley!” 

“Thank you very much, Moomin,” Snoraiden cooed, taking the flowers. Maybe this town wouldn’t be so bad after all, if she could just replicate her old life as closely as possible. 

“Ahem,” her brother coughed. 

“Just a minute, Snork!” she called out. “I’m getting to know Moomin, here.” 

Snork stood up slowly, staring daggers at them. “Snorkmaiden, get back in the wagon right now,” he ordered. 

Snorkmaiden felt a chill run up her spine. She had never heard her brother speak so coldly. Once she was back in the wagon, she heard her brother hiss to Moomin, “you need to stay away from my sister, understand?” 

With that, Snork drove off, leaving Moomin in a cloud of dust. 

Snorkmaiden shot a glare at her brother. “What in the world was that about? I’ve never seen you act so rude!”

Without taking his eyes off the road, Snork replied, “I’m just saving you some trouble. These small-town folk aren’t worth your time.”

“I was just flirting! It isn’t as though I was going to marry the guy!”

“Then there’s no reason for you to talk to him again,” he said with finality. 

Unfortunately for Snork, that was neither his nor Snorkmaiden’s final encounter with Moomin. Forbidding them to see each other only made him more determined to woo Snorkmaiden. He showed up at their house seven times that day with flowers, and even attempted a moonlit serenade outside her window. Yet at every turn, Snork would barge in and send him away. Snorkmaiden was livid. Admittedly, Moomin wasn’t really her type, but it was the principle of the thing: how dare her brother try to control who she could date? To spite him, she egged Moomin on through his clumsy attempts at flirting. 

It all came to a head at the party two nights later. Moomin had somehow scraped together enough money to buy Snorkmaiden a lovely pearl brooch, which she gracefully accepted, and the two were enjoying a dance when Snork decided to butt in once again. At that point, Moomin finally snapped, and he and Snork got into a fistfight. Snorkmaiden didn’t know which was worse: the fact that her brother was willing to pick a fight with a kid her age, or the fact that he lost. Either way, Snork eventually slunk away in defeat, and she and Moomin spent the rest of the night stargazing on the pier. All in all, Snorkmaiden thought as she finally went to bed, a victory for her love life. 

The next morning, far too early for Snorkmaiden’s taste, she awoke to the sound of pebbles hitting her window. Grumpily, she pushed her fringe out of her eyes and stomped over to the balcony to yell at whoever was pulling this nonsense. 

“Good morning, my lady fair!” 

It was Moomin again. Snorkmaiden froze. She was used to flirting with a boy, maybe going on a date or two, and then moving on, usually never seeing him again. She slapped a paw to her forehead; Moomin was her neighbor now—there was no way to avoid him. If she wanted to get out of this, she would have to face him directly. 

Groaning internally, Snorkmaiden headed downstairs and went outside, steeling herself for the break. 

“Moomin,” she took a deep breath. Those romance novels she read never had scenes like this—what was she supposed to say? “I don’t want...I mean, I don’t think we should date anymore.” 

Moomin’s face fell. “Is it because I beat up your brother?”

That would have made a good excuse, but Snorkmaiden had already committed herself to being honest. “No, not really. He started it, after all. It’s just that, well, I’m not interested in you that way,” she explained, cringing. 

After a moment, Moomin shrugged. “That’s fine. I’m glad you told me. We can still be friends, then, right?” 

“Yes,” Snorkmaiden sighed. She knew what that phrase really meant; they’d never speak again. How could she ever fit in now, when she’d already managed to drive away one of her only neighbors—

“Well, come on!” 

“Huh?” Snorkmaiden broke from her thoughts at Moomin’s call. She looked up to see him tapping his paw impatiently. 

“I thought I was going to show you around town today.”

“But—but we’re not dating anymore!”

“I know that,” he giggled. “I didn’t say it was a date, silly! Now, come on!” 

Hesitantly, Snorkmaiden followed. At first, she couldn’t quite believe it; Moomin, a boy, really wanted to spend time with her without any expectation of romance? And without guidance from her books, how was she supposed to know how to act? Yet Moomin seemed completed unphased by their breakup. He chatted away, pointing out various buildings and townsfolk as they walked through the valley. Before long, Snorkmaiden found herself telling him about her old home, and they were trading stories back and forth, laughing all the while. 

A thought occurred to Snorkmaiden. “Moomin,” she began hopefully. “I don’t suppose Moominvalley has a library?”

“Hmm? No, sorry.” Seeing the disappointment on his companion’s face, Moomin paused a moment to think. His eyes suddenly lit up. “You know what? My pappa has lots of books at our house! I’m sure you could borrow something.” 

The pair raced back to Moominhouse and up the stairs to Moominpappa’s study. Snorkmaiden scanned his bookshelves until her eyes alighted on a thick, beat-up volume. With a great effort, she slid the heavy book off the shelf and blew the dust from the cover. 

“The Booble Prince, and Other Stories,” she read the title aloud. 

Moomin peeked over her shoulder. “You still like fairy tales?”

“Don’t laugh!” She pouted. 

“I won’t, I won’t!” Moomin did let out a giggle, but it was a friendly one. “Pappa used to read this to me every night. My favorite was the one with the knight in the tower, who gets rescued by the brave princess and her pet dragon!” 

Snorkmaiden excitedly squeezed the book to her chest. “Is it all right if I borrow it?”

“Go ahead! In fact, you can keep it if you want.” 

“Really? Are you sure?” 

Moomin beamed at her. “Of course! I haven’t looked at it in years—I’m sure it’ll be much more loved with you,” he assured. “Besides, if I ever want to read it again, I can just borrow it from you.” 

“Oh, thank you! I’m going to go home and start reading right now!” 

“Have fun!” 

Snorkmaiden waved goodbye and skipped all the way home. When she went up to her room, however, she noticed something sparkling on her dresser: the brooch, Moomin’s present from last night. She looked from the pearl brooch to the worn book and back again—the gift Moomin had given her as a suitor, and the gift that he had given her as a friend. A small smile appeared on Snorkmaiden’s face. The brooch was pretty, sure, but she would treasure the book forever. 

———————

It was a gorgeous afternoon, with bees buzzing lazily about the flowers, and yet Snorkmaiden was stuck indoors. For as long as she could remember, she had practiced piano for at least an hour every day, rain or shine. Oftentimes, her brother would have her work even longer until every little mistake had been ironed out of her playing. As frustrating as practice could be, however, she really did love the instrument. Snorkmaiden desperately tried to remind herself of that fact as she struggled through a sonata for the fourth time in a row. 

“You’re good.” 

The voice made her jump about a foot in the air. Peeking in the window was a boy with a bald head and a big hat. She vaguely recognized him as one of Moomin’s friends, Snufkin. By the state of his clothes, she also recognized him as being a tramp. 

“Um, thank you.” 

“You don’t like the song you’re playing, though.” 

“Oh, I don’t? How would you know?” Snorkmaiden asked sarcastically. 

Snufkin either didn’t notice the insincerity of the question, or he just didn’t care. “I can hear that you’re not having fun. Why not play something you like?” 

Snorkmaiden thought about telling him to stick his big pointy nose in someone else’s business, but then she paused. After all, why was she bothering with these dusty old songs? It wasn’t like she had to perform at school recitals anymore. After a moment’s consideration, she pulled out a different sheet of music. It was a more modern piece; Snork had commented that it sounded like a piano being thrown down the stairs, but she liked the syncopated rhythm. With a glance up at her audience of one, she put her paws on the keyboard and began to play. 

“That’s more like it!” Snufkin hoisted himself over the windowsill and into the house, falling flat on his face. Snorkmaiden’s playing stuttered as she wondered whether she should be helping him up or calling the police, but Snufkin quickly got to his feet. He grabbed his guitar off his back and started strumming the same jazzy tune. With a shrug, Snorkmaiden got back into the rhythm of the song. 

She had performed duets with her brother before, but Snork’s careful violin playing was very different from Snufkin’s strumming. He obviously didn’t have any sheet music to follow, and yet he somehow managed to improvise a harmony that made the song sound even more lively than usual. Absorbed in the music, Snorkmaiden barely managed to catch the sound of footsteps coming toward them. She abruptly stopped playing, and grabbed the neck of Snufkin’s guitar to silence it. 

“My brother’s coming! You need to hide!”

“Hide? Where?”

Whipping her head around, Snorkmaiden spotted a closet nearby and threw open the door. She picked Snufkin up with one paw and chucked him inside, guitar and all, slamming the door just in time for her brother to poke his head in the room. 

“Snorkmaiden?” 

She leaned against the closet, trying to look casual. “Yes?” 

“I just wanted to tell you that I’m going out to buy more paints. Please keep practicing until I get back.” 

“Ok, take your time!” Snorkmaiden flashed him her most charming smile. Snork, busy scanning the room, didn’t smile back. 

“This might sound strange, but I thought I heard a guitar just now.” 

“Really? I didn’t hear anything,” she hurriedly responded. “Perhaps you aren’t getting enough sleep, big brother.” 

“Hmm. Well, I’ll see you later.” He paused. “Oh, and you should return to working on the sonata. That silly song you were playing before is a waste of your talents.” 

“Yes, Snork.” 

With that, her brother departed. Snorkmaiden waited until she was sure he was far away before opening the closet door. Snufkin was sprawled face-down amidst a pile of junk, with his guitar neatly perched on his bottom. For a moment, Snorkmaiden could only stare. Then she broke into giggles. She forced herself to stop as Snufkin pulled himself to his feet, but then he caught her eye, and she couldn’t help but start giggling again. He joined in this time, throwing his head back and revealing his pointy teeth as he laughed. 

As they caught their breath, Snufkin said, “you’re alright, Snorkmaiden. For a rich girl, that is.” 

She smirked. “You’re not bad, yourself, for a tramp.” 

Still smiling, the two returned to their instruments, and played together for the rest of the afternoon. 

———————

“I’m getting fed up with your behavior, Snorkmaiden.” Snork had strolled into her bedroom, acting calm but clearly seething just below the surface. “Just because we’re living in the country now doesn’t mean you can act so indiscreetly.”

“What have I done that you consider ‘indiscreet,’ dear brother?” Snorkmaiden asked, voice dripping with insincere sweetness. 

“Spending time at that Moomin boy’s house without a chaperone, for starters.”

“For Booble’s sake, Snork, we’re just reading!” 

“It still looks improper,” he huffed. “I’ve seen you talking to that ragamuffin, too. You had better not be giving him money.”

Snorkmaiden snorted. “Like Snufkin would ever want money.” 

Her brother fixed her with a cold glare. “Why can’t you just act like a proper lady?” With that, he exited the room, leaving her with the stinging remark. 

For a moment, Snorkmaiden just stood, trembling all over. Then she ran for her closet. A few moments later, Snorkmaiden carefully wobbled out the front door in high heels, a big yellow hairbow, and her fluffiest faux fur wrap. When she passed Little My on the street, she made sure to huff and tut at the girl’s muddy dress and messy hair. 

Little My blew a raspberry in response. “Sheesh, what’s the matter with you?”

“I’m a proper lady, thank you very much.” She twirled the ends of her boa. “Perhaps I could teach you how to be one.” Despite her best efforts to keep her haughty air, Snorkmaiden felt her tail swish excitedly. After all, she loved it when girls at her old school would ask her for styling tips. If she showed her classy side here, surely Little My would start looking up to her as well. 

“Ha!” The smaller girl snorted, looking her up and down. “If that’s what it takes, then I think I’ll stay an improper lady.” 

“Hmph,” Snorkmaiden huffed and began tottering away. 

“You know, I could teach you how to be one.” 

The response stopped Snorkmaiden in her tracks. She turned to ask, “what do you mean?” 

“Haven’t you ever wanted to just jump in a mud puddle? Roll down a hill and get grass stains in your fur? Pull a prank on someone and laugh in their face when they scold you?” 

After a long pause, Snorkmaiden kicked off her shoes and threw them in a nearby garbage can. 

“Show me how.” 

Little My’s face broke into a devious grin. 

Their first stop was the edge of town. Dragging a small wooden wagon between them, the girls clambered up the steep walls of the valley. After several minutes of huffing and puffing, Little My gasped out, “ok, this is high enough.” 

As she caught her breath, Snorkmaiden turned and admired the view. Her home looked like a dollhouse, brightly painted and cute. 

“It’s lovely here! But Little My, why did you bring the wagon?”

“To get down, of course.” 

Snorkmaiden gulped. “You’re kidding.” 

The other girl just smirked and sat down in the wagon, gesturing to the space behind her. 

“Hop on, cupcake.” 

Tentatively, Snorkmaiden stepped onto the wagon with one paw. It rolled and creaked, making her cringe, but she carefully brought her other leg into the wagon and gingerly took a seat behind Little My. 

“Ready to go?” 

“Actually, could you give me a moment—“

“All right, let’s roll!” With that, Little My lurched forward in her seat, nudging the wagon over the ledge. Her shrieks of laughter and Snorkmaiden’s terrified screams echoed through the valley as they sped down the mountain. 

“Little My, watch out!” 

The girls rolled into a copse of trees. Little My swerved as hard as she could, narrowly avoiding a collision with a tree trunk. In doing so, however, the wagon ran over a fallen branch. A twig got caught in the wheel spokes, and the wagon flipped, sending its passengers flying. 

“Oof!” Snorkmaiden landed on the ground with a thud. A few seconds later, Little My slammed into her belly, making her grunt again. 

The smaller girl cackled with glee. “That was fantastic! We didn’t even fall into the river or anything!” 

Snorkmaiden let out a weak chuckle. “I think your standards for ‘fantastic’ are a bit different than mine.” 

“Hey, at least you survived, right?” Little My poked the snork’s belly. “You know, you make a pretty good cushion.” 

“Gee, thanks.” 

For the rest of the afternoon, Little My hauled Snorkmaiden from one place to the next, leaving messes and chaos in her wake. As the sun sank low in the sky, the girls arrived at their final destination: Mr. Hemulen’s house. Little My tasked Snorkmaiden with setting a bucket of plum purple paint on top of the old man’s door, while she herself tied a string from the handle of the bucket to the doorknob. 

“That old hemulen will be purple for the rest of his life!” she snickered. 

Snorkmaiden, still perched on her tiptoes, turned and asked, “isn’t this kind of mean?” Before she could get an answer, however, Snorkmaiden lost her balance. She fell hard, and the bucket of paint fell with her, splattering all over her head. 

“No, no, no!” She wailed, desperately pawing at her head. “My fringe!” 

“Hey, calm down! I was joking about it being permanent paint. It’ll wash right out.” 

“Are you sure?” Snorkmaiden sniffled. 

“Yeah, I’m not that much of a jerk. So don’t cry, ok?” Little My patted her paw awkwardly and sighed. “I think you’re missing the point of all this.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“See, I’m happy when I’m being wild, but that’s because I’m Little My. I like being ‘improper,’ because it’s proper for me!” She gestured to herself, and then to Snorkmaiden. “But you’re you, not me.” 

“I know that.” 

Little My groaned impatiently. “What I’m trying to say is, if you’re only acting improper to be like me, that’s just as bad as acting proper to impress your brother.” 

She pulled Snorkmaiden’s snout down to look her in the eye. “What do you want for yourself?”

“I just want to fit in. I want to get along with everyone.”

“That’s a stupid answer,” Little My spat. “I’ll ask again, what do you want for yourself?”

Snorkmaiden clenched her paws into fists. “I want to play my jazz piano songs! And I want to read fairytales! I want to wear my hairbows and fuss over my fringe and curl my tail, because I like being pretty!” The girl leapt to her feet, her voice rising to a shout. “Most of all, I want to have friends in this town, whether Snork approves of them or not!” 

“There you go!” whooped Little My. 

Out of breath but smiling, Snorkmaiden said, “I sound like such a brat, but that...that felt right.” 

“It’ll do you good to be a little selfish sometimes.” 

“You know what? I think I want to spend more time with you, too, Little My.” 

Without warning, Snorkmaiden wrapped her arms around the other girl, making her shriek. 

“Hey, you’re getting paint all over me!”

“If I’m going to look like a grape, then so are you!” 

Once Little My was sufficiently purple, the two girls parted ways. Still giggling, Snorkmaiden made her way down the road to her home, paying no heed to the stares of the townsfolk. When she reached her own front door, however, she hesitated. Squaring her shoulders, she opened the door and went inside. 

“Snorkmaiden, where in the world have you been? It’s past sundown!” Snork thundered over. When he got an eyeful of her appearance, he stopped in his tracks. “Wh-what have you been doing?!”

“I was spending time with my friend Little My,” she replied, raising her chin defiantly. 

“You cannot possibly expect me to allow this.” He harrumphed. “If that girl is going to encourage such behavior from you, then I forbid you to see her again!” 

Snorkmaiden saw red. “What do you have against me making friends here?! You’re the one who dragged us out to Moominvalley in the first place!”

“I don’t want you to get stuck here!” Snork shouted. Then, as if the outburst had taken all his strength, he slumped over and covered his face with his paws. “Please, please don’t get stuck here.” 

Snorkmaiden tentatively made her way to her brother’s side. “What are you talking about?” 

“Our parents...they could have lived anywhere, and their business probably would have been more successful if they had moved to the city, but they fell in love with this place.” He choked, forcing back tears. “Maybe if they hadn’t loved this town, if they hadn’t stayed, then they wouldn’t have gotten caught in the flood.” 

“Oh, Snork...” she rubbed his back. “I’m sorry. But that isn’t fair to the town, or to the people living here.” 

“I suppose it isn’t,” he conceded, drying his eyes with a handkerchief. “I just want the best for you, Snorkmaiden. You know that, right?” 

“I know.” Snorkmaiden took her brother’s paws. “Snork, you brought us to Moominvalley because it was ‘good enough,’ remember?” 

He nodded, so Snorkmaiden continued. “Well, as long as we’re here, I think we ought to try and make the best of ‘good enough.’” 

A watery smile appeared on Snork’s face, and he pulled his sister into a hug. 

“I think I can do that.” 


End file.
